Social and Political Philosophy (Research Seminar) 1 

Required is a general knowledge of and familiarity with the tradition of political and social philosophy and/or the readiness to fill in relevant gaps (of course, assistance can be provided where necessary).

• Chaired reading and interpretation of the texts during the seminar;
• The task of the students is to prepare the sessions by submitting papers about the different chapters and topics;
• Developing general ideas about alternative models.   

In the course of this seminar, students will:

• learn about philosophical research by doing it, as active participants in research meetings and discussions and by independently writing papers, preparing questions, writing reports, etc.;
• get acquainted with key concepts in political philosophy and with the intrinsic contestability of these concepts;
• come to grips with present-day discussions, in political philosophy and secularization theory, about the relation between politics and religion. 

The central topic of the Fall seminar is the question of democracy in a so-called "post-secular" society.

1. This discussion, as far as the West is concerned, involves well-known philosophers like Charles Taylor, John Rawls, Jacques Derrida, and Jürgen Habermas (the originator of the notion of "post-secular society"). Recently, two of these thinkers, Taylor and Habermas, plus Judith Butler and Cornel West, engaged in a public, and published discussion, which will form the starting point of the seminar: E. Mendieta & J. Vanantwerpen (eds.), The Power of Religion in the Public Sphere (Columbia UP, 2011). Participants are expected to read this publication PRIOR to the first seminar meeting, when we shall discuss it. It is available in photocopy upon request.
2. The "continuing" research seminar students will be given the assignment to present, together or in an appropriate division of labour, the outcome of the Spring 2011 research seminar on John Rawls, led by prof. J.P. Wils, in relation to the topic of the Fall 2011 research seminar. "Bringing in Rawls" to put it simply, some selected reading included.
3. The topic of the seminar was put on the agenda by, among others, Jürgen Habermas, and it is with him that the semester continues: his lecture on "Glauben und Wissen [Faith and Knowledge]" of 2001 will take centre stage. Additionally, in this round, we will read and discuss his [Habermas'] exchange with John Rawls ["The Idea of Public Reason Revisited", later included in the expanded edition of Political Liberalism + Habermas' comment on Rawls] and with Jacques Derrida [the latter's "Foi et Savoir", but also his exchange with Habermas]. Together, these texts / authors will enable us to get a clear view of the issue: what is meant by "post-secular society"? Apart from answers, we will, hopefully, be able to formulate appropriate questions. [The texts by Habermas and Derrida are available in English translation; participants are expected to retrieve these on their own].
4. The next part will consist of two presentations by junior researchers connected to the department: Arthur Zijlstra (and, hopefully, Josephien van Kessel) will give a presentation on Charles Taylor's A Secular Age, including selected reading, and Volkan Ertit will present an overview of recent secularization theory, including selected reading, too.
5. The remainder of the seminar will be given substance by the participating students, who will be asked to choose a topic of their own, do the relevant research, and present the results to the group. This could be, for example, an analysis of the discussion as it has evolved in the years between discussions between Habermas, Rawls and Derrida on the one hand, and the Taylor-Butler-Habermas-West discussion that the seminar starts with [see pt 1 above] on the other hand; it can also be a more specific study of a particular author, area or case; it can involve going back to more classical positions and authors; etc. Anything can be proposed, as long as it remains connected to the central topic: "democracy in a post-secular society".
6. In the course of the semester, two scholars hopefully will be invited to give a lecture on the topic; students are expected to prepare questions and to write a report. One of these scholars is likely to be Dr. Graham Smith (University of Lancaster, UK), the other Dr. Stephen Bullivant (St. Mary’s College, London, UK).
7. On Tuesday, 15 November, the Soeterbeeck Program and the research project "Repertoires of Democracy" will organize a public event on "Transfer of Democratic Repertoires", which consists of a large public event (in Dutch) in the evening and three smaller workshops (in English) in the afternoon: research master seminar students are expected to attend one of these three workshops (details will follow) and report on them.

The assignments for the students will be spread across the seminar and will NOT include a final paper, but several smaller ones (reports, comments, etc.).
During the first meeting, apart from discussing the text mentioned in the beginning, the exact times and dates will be decided upon collectively. Each seminar meeting will be preceded by a preparatory pro-seminar with the students.

• E. Mendieta & J. Vanantwerpen (eds.), The Power of Religion in the Public Sphere (Columbia UP, 2011);
• J. Habermas, "Glauben und Wissen [Faith and Knowledge]" (Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag, 2001) (there exists an English translation of this text);
• J. Rawls, "The Idea of Public Reason Revisited", included in the later editions of Political Liberalism + Habermas' comment on Rawls;
• J. Derrida, Foi et Savoir (Paris: Seuil, 2001), and also his exchange with Habermas (there is an English translation of this text).

The language of communication is English.
The seminar will be supported by BlackBoard.